Abstract

Who is or what is the 'human' human rights' and "Humanity" of humanitarianism? The question sounds naive, even foolish. However, important philosophical and ontological issues are involved this theme. If you are given rights to beings because of their "humanity", the nature "human", to their needs, characteristics and desires is the normative source of rights. The human definition will determine the substance and scope of rights. Even if we knew who the "Human", when they begin and end their existence and rights to it associated? Fetuses, genetically designed babies ( "designer babies"), clones, people in a permanent vegetative state are fully human? What about animals? The movement to defend the rights of animals, from the militancy of deep ecology and the anti - vivisection until its variations softer green, put on the political agenda the legal differentiation between human or animal firmly and produced a large number of projects animal rights. This article examines the ideology of humanism in its several transformations and permutations. It begins with the history of concepts of humanity and human nature.